Trinity 2.0 Arrangement of the Sraffa Papers of D3/12
Introduction to Trinity 2.0
The Trinity 2.0 Arrangement (T2) of the Sraffa Papers is an archival architecture which structures the vast material and provides a road map rendering it conducive for scientific study. Sraffa’s archive is in fact a rich and complex mosaic of inter-connected note-sets. The T2 arrangement organizes Sraffa’s literary remains in two important ways:
- Arranges the files in chronological order; and,
- Puts the note-set character of the material front and center.
Section D3/12 of the Sraffa archive contains notes on Production of Commodities by Means of Commodities consisting of over 7000 mostly handwritten pages in 115 files; to data the T2 arrangement has been made for the material in section D3/12 of the Sraffa Archive that dates from 1927 through 1932.
The T2 arrangment is an organic interface combining the note-set character of the text as first identified in the Bharadwaj-Garegnani (BG) inventory from the mid to late 1980s with the Wren Trinity (WT) catalogue from the early 1990s.
Readers can find here an article written by me, Professor Scott Carter of The University of Tulsa, published (2019) in the online peer-reviewed journal American Review of Political Economy, that describes the history of the Sraffa archive and the development of the Trinity 2.0 arrangement using as an illustration the single file folder D3/12/3: Notes London 1927 (Physical Real Cost, etc.). This was the file that Professor Garegnani subjected to scrutiny in his seminal 2005 Turning Point article. Garegnani’s knowledge of the BG inventory allows him to introduces the first hybrid convention between the BG inventory and the WT catalogue, serving as the prototype for the Trinity 2.0 arrangement.
In terms of meta-file organization, T2 puts the files in chronological order (excepting the first two files which are outliers). This requires a reshuffling of files from the WT catalogue and the breaking-out of 5 of the Bharadwaj-Garegnani files, three BG files from WT.D3/12/10 and two from WT.D3/12/9. This gives a total of 16 T2 files as opposed to the 13 WT files from the period. To keep matters as clear as possible, each file folder will be identified by all three conventions, T2, WT, and BG.
The Trinity 2.0 Arrangement is uses readily available Google technology to construct a navigation schema that allows its users to comprehend and discover Sraffa's literary remains.
chronological timeline for 14 of 16 t2 files
Timeline for Trinity 2.0 Arrangement of the Sraffa Papers from 1927-1932
The above image shows a timeline for the meta-file arrangement of the material from 1927 to 1932 in D3/12. As the first two files are outliers, included above are the notes Sraffa penned from Summer 1927 to on or around May 1932.
Readers will notice that the two-thirds of this material was written before Sraffa began his lecturing duties in Fall 1928 with his course entitled The Advanced Theory of Value, archived according to WT as D2/4.
The T2 transcriptions for 15 of the 16 files (called Full T2 Transcriptions 1927-32) are at the following link: Full T2 Transcription 1927-32 (15 of 16).
On the links below folks will find the T2 Arrangement that uses simple Google technology; this has the drawback of being the digital equivalent of match sticks and scotch tape; however it has the benefit of being accessible to anyone around the world with access to a computer. And making the material accessible widely the the underlying goal of Digital Sraffa and the Trinity 2.0 Arrangement.
Google slides
The Google slideshows present in on each individual slide the tandem presentation of the digital image on the left hand side (LHS) and a complete transcription on the right hand side (RHS). At the top right corner of the RHS transcriptions are the various archival conventions: the T2 Arrangement, the WT Catalogue, and the BG Inventory.
There are two hyperlinks to the T2 code in the upper right corner of the RHS transcription. The first is on the top line and takes users to the main slideshow itself, and the second is on the second line which takes users to the digital image saved on the main Google drive. The archival convention of the file name accords to T2 but note that work is still being done on this, and eventually each of these images will contain all three conventions in the file name. This will greatly facilitate the burden in downloading of the image. The third and last line has the Wren Trinity catalogue code hyperlinked to the page-specific URL in as the material appears on the Janus portal of the Wren Library website devotes to Sraffa. Note that this too is being updated, and not all of th eWT links are yet made.
Google docs
The Google docs collects the transcriptions and puts them into complete documents, as complete documents for each file and then these complied into a single larger transcribed document. The link for the Full Transcription 1927-32 are also given above. The transcribed Google docs for each individual file are also collected, the links of which appear below. Readers will notice that sometimes there are no transcriptions; this usually is the case when there are graphs and some equations, and as the site progresses into complete fruition this will be attended to as well, along with all the other missing pieces, etc. Indeed we can use peoples' help and crowd-sourse a lot of this; meaning that if and when there are mistakes them please let us know; please address archival matters to the following email: admin@sraffaarchive.org.
Sraffa speaks in the present tense
An important element of the material that people should keep in mind when working through the material is that Sraffa writes in the present tense - he is speaking to us now, about issues in economic science that are not resolved. This is especially important for younger scholars who tire of the poverty and paucity of mainstream economy theory who are looking for new and fresh ways to consider economic theory and importantly, economic policy.
Folks should refer to the Introductory Blog post dated August 3, 2020, two days before Sraffa's 122nd birthday, the occasion upon which the Digital Sraffa site and Trinity 2.0 Arrangement were launched. There we describe how the Trinity 2.0 project was very much informed and inspired by the way Sraffa himself handled the archival material of David Ricardo in the eleven volumes of the Works and Correspondece of David Riccardo. To provide background, folks should read the entry made in 2017 on the earlier Heretical Sraffa blog introducing Sraffa's various comments throughout the Works, directly linked to the HTML version in the wonderful resource that the Online Library of Liberty (OLL) has provided.
What is important for the purposes of the Trinity 2.0 Arrangement in this introductory context is the way Sraffa handled and himself arranged chronologically the Ricardo Correspondence in Works VI - IX. Sraffa describes in the Introductory Comments to Works VI how his differs from previous versions of Ricardo's letters:
- "In contrast with previously published collections, the letters to and from the various correspondents have been arranged in a single chronological series. The reader is thus placed as it were behind Ricardo’s desk at Gatcomb Park and reads the letters as Ricardo writes them or receives them" (Sraffa's Introduction to Works and Correspondence of David Ricardo, Vol. IV)
The Trinity 2.0 Arrangement is constructed with this same goal in mind, namely to put the reader behind Sraffa's desk and thereby comprehend the material as an organic text.
In each of the files below folks will find links to the T2 slides, the T2 docs, and the link to the file on the WT Janus portal. Introductory videos are pending and in-process as of this writing.
Trinity 2.0 Arrangement: 1927-32
At the link below is a short video that introduces the Digital Sraffa and Trinity 2.0 arrangement for the material from 1927-32.
1-16.7.10 - 1st of 16 T2 files [WT.D3/12/1].[BG.CXI] 1927-31
2-16.13.50 - 2nd of 16 T2 files [WT.D3/12/2].[BG.A1] All periods
2-16.13.50 - 2nd of 16 T2 files [WT.D3/12/2].[BG.A1] All periods
- T2.1-16.7.10: Consists of seven T2 docs in ten image-pages.
- Sraffa's title: Loose pages found together in 2/89 and put in envelope by PG (in Professor Garegnani's hand)
- Overview Video (pending)
- File T2 20s.1-16.7.10 (slides)
- File T2 20s.1-16.7.10 (docs)
- WT.D3/12/1 (Wren Trinity link)
- The notes in this file folder were found in an envelope by Professor Garegnani in 1989 after the main of the BG inventory was made.
- Dates from 1927-31
2-16.13.50 - 2nd of 16 T2 files [WT.D3/12/2].[BG.A1] All periods
2-16.13.50 - 2nd of 16 T2 files [WT.D3/12/2].[BG.A1] All periods
2-16.13.50 - 2nd of 16 T2 files [WT.D3/12/2].[BG.A1] All periods
- T2.2-16.13.50: Consists of thirteen T2 docs in fifty image-pages.
- Sraffa's title: USEFUL (All dates), ex black cover 1955
- Overview Video (pending)
- File T2 20s.2-16.13.50 (slides)
- File T2 20s.2-16.13.50 (docs)
- WT.D3/12/2 (Wren Trinity link)
- This is one of several transitory files found throughout Sraffa’s Notes on PCMC. The material in this file folder contains material collected by Sraffa after 1955, most likely January 1955. It contains note-set docs from all periods. It is important to emphasize that Sraffa noted it “useful” in capital letters.
- Dates from 1927-31, after 1942, after 1955s
3-16.28.82 - 3rd of 16 T2 files [WT.D3/12/3].[BG.A4] Summer 1927
2-16.13.50 - 2nd of 16 T2 files [WT.D3/12/2].[BG.A1] All periods
3-16.28.82 - 3rd of 16 T2 files [WT.D3/12/3].[BG.A4] Summer 1927
- T2.3-16.28.82: Consists of twenty-eight T2 docs in eighty-two image-pages.
- Sraffa's title: Notes London Summer 1927 (Physical real costs, etc.
- Overview Video (pending)
- File T2 20s.3-16.28.82 (slides)
- File T2 20s.3-16.28.82 (docs)
- WT.D3/12/3 (Wren Trinity link)
- The notes in this file folder were written in Summer 1927; the notes are the chronologically-first set of consistent notes in the Sraffa archive. This is the file folder that Professor Garegnani subjected to scrutiny and analysis in his 2005 “Turning Point” article.
- Dates from Summer 1927
4-16.97.138 - 4th of 16 T2 files [WT.D3/12/11].[BG.E2] November 1927
5-16.18.44 - 5th of 16 T2 files [WT.D3/12/4].[BG.A5] November 1927
3-16.28.82 - 3rd of 16 T2 files [WT.D3/12/3].[BG.A4] Summer 1927
- T2.4-16.97.138: Consists of ninety-seven T2 docs in one hundred thirty-eight image-pages.
- Sraffa's title: End of November 1927
- Overview Video (pending)
- File T2 20s.4-16.97.138 (slides)
- File T2 20s.4-16.97.138 (docs)
- WT.D3/12/11 (Wren Trinity link)
- First of two files from November 1927. These are written on small sheets of paper from small notebooks ("Scribbling Pads") the size of index card.
- Dates from November 1927
5-16.18.44 - 5th of 16 T2 files [WT.D3/12/4].[BG.A5] November 1927
5-16.18.44 - 5th of 16 T2 files [WT.D3/12/4].[BG.A5] November 1927
5-16.18.44 - 5th of 16 T2 files [WT.D3/12/4].[BG.A5] November 1927
- T2.5-16.18.44: Consists of eighteen T2 docs in forty-four image-pages.
- Sraffa's title: End of November 1927 {Large sheets}
- Overview Video (pending)
- File T2 20s.5-16.18.44 (slides)
- File T2 20s.5-16.18.44 (docs)
- WT.D3/12/4 (Wren Trinity link)
- Second of two files from November 1927. These are written on large sheets of paper
- Dates from November 1927
6-16.37.79 - 6th of 16 T2 files [WT.D3/12/10].[BG.E3] December 1927
5-16.18.44 - 5th of 16 T2 files [WT.D3/12/4].[BG.A5] November 1927
5-16.18.44 - 5th of 16 T2 files [WT.D3/12/4].[BG.A5] November 1927
- T2.6-16.37.79: Consists of thirty-seven T2 docs in seventy-nine image-pages.
- Sraffa's title: December 1927
- Overview Video (pending)
- File T2 20s.6-16.36.79 (slides)
- File T2 20s.6-16.36.79 (docs)
- WT.D3/12/10 (1 of 3) (Wren Trinity link)
- First of three BG files broken-out of WT.D3/12/10. These are written on small sheets of paper from small notebooks ("Scribbling Pads") the size of index card.
- Dates from December 1927
7-16.16.37 - 7th of 16 T2 files [WT.D3/12/5].[BG.A6] Winter 1927-28
8-16.5.36 - 8th of 16 T2 files [WT.D3/12/6].[BG.CXVI] Winter 1927-28
8-16.5.36 - 8th of 16 T2 files [WT.D3/12/6].[BG.CXVI] Winter 1927-28
- T2.7-16.26.37: Consists of sixteenT2 docs in thirty-seven image-pages.
- Sraffa's title: Winter 1927-28, Looms, etc.
- Overview Video (pending)
- File T2 20s.7-16.26.37 (slides)
- File T2 20s.7-16.26.37 (docs)
- WT.D3/12/5 (Wren Trinity link)
- First of two files written in Winter 1927-28.
- Dates from Winter 1927-28
8-16.5.36 - 8th of 16 T2 files [WT.D3/12/6].[BG.CXVI] Winter 1927-28
8-16.5.36 - 8th of 16 T2 files [WT.D3/12/6].[BG.CXVI] Winter 1927-28
8-16.5.36 - 8th of 16 T2 files [WT.D3/12/6].[BG.CXVI] Winter 1927-28
- T2.8-16.5.36: Consists of five T2 docs in thirty-six image-pages.
- Sraffa's title: Winter 1927-28
- Overview Video (pending)
- File T2 20s.8-16.6.36 (slides)
- File T2 20s.8-16.6.36 (docs)
- WT.D3/12/6 (Wren Trinity link)
- Second of two files written in Winter 1927-28.
- Dates from Winter 1927-28
9-16.28.40 - 9th of 16 T2 files [WT.D3/12/10].[BG.E4] Spring 1928
8-16.5.36 - 8th of 16 T2 files [WT.D3/12/6].[BG.CXVI] Winter 1927-28
9-16.28.40 - 9th of 16 T2 files [WT.D3/12/10].[BG.E4] Spring 1928
- T2.9-16.28.40: Consists of twenty-eight T2 docs in forty image-pages.
- Sraffa's title: Lent Term, 1928
- Overview Video (pending)
- File T2 20s.9-16.28.40 (slides)
- File T2 20s.9-16.28.40 (docs)
- WT.D3/12/10 (2 of 3) (Wren Trinity link)
- Second of three BG files broken-out of WT.D3/12/10. These are written on small sheets of paper from small notebooks the size of index card: first of two files written in Spring 1928.
- Dates from Spring 1928
10-16.12.32 - 10th of 16 T2 files [WT.D3/12/8].[BG.CXVII] Spring 1928
11-16.87.120 - 11th of 16 T2 files [WT.D3/12/9].[BG.E6] May-July 1928
9-16.28.40 - 9th of 16 T2 files [WT.D3/12/10].[BG.E4] Spring 1928
- T2.10-16.13.32: Consists of twelve T2 docs in thirty-two image-pages.
- Sraffa's title: Lent Term 1928
- Overview Video (pending)
- File T2 20s.10-16.13.32 (slides)
- File T2 20s.10-16.13.32 (docs)
- WT.D3.12.8 (Wren Trinity link)
- First of two files written in Spring 1928. These are written on large sheets of paper.
- Dates from Spring 1928
11-16.87.120 - 11th of 16 T2 files [WT.D3/12/9].[BG.E6] May-July 1928
11-16.87.120 - 11th of 16 T2 files [WT.D3/12/9].[BG.E6] May-July 1928
11-16.87.120 - 11th of 16 T2 files [WT.D3/12/9].[BG.E6] May-July 1928
- T2.11-16.87.128: Consists of eighty-seven T2 docs in one hundred twenty image-pages.
- Sraffa's title: Maggio-Luglio 1928
- Overview Video (pending)
- File T2 20s.11-16.87.120 (slides)
- File T2 20s.11-16.87.120 (docs)
- WT.D3/12/9 (1 of 2) (Wren Trinity link)
- First of two BG files broken-out of WT.D3/12/9. These are written on small sheets of paper from small notebooks the size of index card.
- Dates from May-July 1928
12-16.8.13 - 12th of 16 T2 files [WT.D3/12/10].[BG.E5] Fall 1928
11-16.87.120 - 11th of 16 T2 files [WT.D3/12/9].[BG.E6] May-July 1928
11-16.87.120 - 11th of 16 T2 files [WT.D3/12/9].[BG.E6] May-July 1928
- T2.12-16.8.13: Consists of eight T2 docs in thirteen image-pages.
- Sraffa's title: NOTES Michaelmas Term 1928
- Overview Video (pending)
- File T2 20s.12-16.8.13 (slides)
- File T2 20s.12-16.8.13 (docs)
- WT.D3/12/10 (3 of 3) (Wren Trinity link)
- Third of three BG files broken-out of WT.D3/12/10. These are written on small sheets of paper from small notebooks the size of index card. These were written concurrent with the commencing of Sraffa's lecture duties.
- Dates from Fall 1928
13-16.14.86 - 13th of 16 T2 files [WT.D3/12/13].[BG.CXV] Summer 1929
15-16.73.180 - 15th of 16 T2 files [WT.D3/12/F].[BG.FF] 1928 - 1931, 2 docs from 19
14-16.1.52 - 14th of 16 T2 files [WT.D3/12/12].[BG.E8] Summer 1929
- T2.13-16.14.86: Consists of fourteen T2 docs in eighty-six image-pages.
- Sraffa's title: After 1927 {In Professor Garegnani's hand}
- Overview Video (pending)
- File T2 20s.13-16.14.86 (slides)
- File T2 20s.13-16.14.86 (docs)
- WT.D3/12/13 (Wren Trinity link)
- The notes in this subsection of the file folder were written in Summer 1929 and the early 1930s. Along with the 20s.15-16 and second part of D3.12.9, this is among the last files from the period of the later 1920s and early 1930s.
- Dates from Summer 1929
14-16.1.52 - 14th of 16 T2 files [WT.D3/12/12].[BG.E8] Summer 1929
15-16.73.180 - 15th of 16 T2 files [WT.D3/12/F].[BG.FF] 1928 - 1931, 2 docs from 19
14-16.1.52 - 14th of 16 T2 files [WT.D3/12/12].[BG.E8] Summer 1929
- T2.14-16.1.52: Consists of one T2 doc in fifty-two image-pages.
- Sraffa's title: Estate 1929 {In Professor Garegnani's hand}
- Overview Video (pending)
- File T2 20s.14-16.1.52 (slides)
- File T2 20s.14-16.1.52 (docs)
- WT.D3/12/12 (Wren Trinity link)
- This file is written almost wholly in Italian; as of August 2020 it has not yet been transcribed or translated.
- Dates from Summer 1929
15-16.73.180 - 15th of 16 T2 files [WT.D3/12/F].[BG.FF] 1928 - 1931, 2 docs from 19
15-16.73.180 - 15th of 16 T2 files [WT.D3/12/F].[BG.FF] 1928 - 1931, 2 docs from 19
15-16.73.180 - 15th of 16 T2 files [WT.D3/12/F].[BG.FF] 1928 - 1931, 2 docs from 19
- T2.15-16.73.180: Consists of seventy-three T2 docs in one hundred eighty image-pages.
- Sraffa's title: After 1927 {In Professor Garegnani's hand}
- Overview Video (pending)
- File T2 20s.15-16.73.180 (slides)
- File T2 20s.15-16.73.180 (docs)
- WT.D3/12/7 (Wren Trinity link)
- This is the largest of the files from this era. It spans the years 1928 through 1931 and contains two documents from 1945. This is perhaps the most developed of the files from this era which is why it is placed at the end of the period.
- Dates from 1928 through 1931, with two documents dated 1945
16-16.9.29 - 16th of 16 T2 files [WT.D3/12/9].[BG.E7, E1] May 1932
16-16.9.29 - 16th of 16 T2 files [WT.D3/12/9].[BG.E7, E1] May 1932
15-16.73.180 - 15th of 16 T2 files [WT.D3/12/F].[BG.FF] 1928 - 1931, 2 docs from 19
- T2.16-16.9.29: Consists of nine T2 docs in twenty-nine image-pages.
- Sraffa's title: May 1932 ? (in Professor Garegnani's hand)
- Overview Video (pending)
- File T2 20s.16-16.9.29 (slides)
- File T2 20s.16-16.9.29 (docs)
- WT.D3/12/9 (2 of 2) (Wren Trinity link)
- Second of two BG files broken-out of WT.D3/12/9. These are written on small sheets of paper from small notebooks ("Scribbling Pads") the size of index card.
- Dates from as late as May 1932
Lecture Notes on the Advanced Theory of Value [WT.D2/4] 1928-31
16-16.9.29 - 16th of 16 T2 files [WT.D3/12/9].[BG.E7, E1] May 1932
Lecture Notes on the Advanced Theory of Value [WT.D2/4] 1928-31
- D2/4: Consists of xxx T2 docs in xxx Image-pages.
- Sraffa's title: 16 Lectures - Michaelmas Term 1928-29 "Advanced Theory of Value"
- Overview Video (pending)
- File T2 D2/4 (Slides)
- WT.D2/4 (Wren Trinity link)
- Lecture notes for course given at Trinity College, University of Cambridge
- Dates from Fall 1928 to Spring 1931
Bharadwaj-Garegnani Inventory 1984-89
16-16.9.29 - 16th of 16 T2 files [WT.D3/12/9].[BG.E7, E1] May 1932
Lecture Notes on the Advanced Theory of Value [WT.D2/4] 1928-31
- Link to J14 which contains a document that lists the initial inventory of the material according to Bharadwaj-Garegnani accomplished in 1980s
- Overview Video (pending)